Neely Mansion, spring 2006Auburn's first store, 1886
Before the first European arrived in the Green River Valley in the 1850s, the area was home to the Muckleshoot people, who were temporarily driven out by Indian wars later that decade. Several settler families arrived in the 1860s, including Levi Ballard, who set up a homestead between the Green and White rivers.[7] Ballard filed for a plat to establish a town in February 1886, naming it Slaughter for an officer slain during the Indian wars in 1855.[8][9]
Slaughter was incorporated on June 13, 1891, but its name was changed two years later to Auburn on February 21, 1893, by an action of the state legislature. Newer residents had disliked the name and its connection to the word "slaughter", especially after the town's hotel was named the Slaughter House.[8][9] The name Auburn was chosen in honor of Auburn, New York, for the areas' shared reliance on hops farming.[10]
The White and Green Rivers have been a major part of the history and culture of Auburn since the area was settled with multiple locations in the city being named after either of the two rivers. Frequent flooding from the rivers caused numerous problems for the people living in the community with one outcome being the creation of Mountain View Cemetery over on one of the hills overlooking the valley.[11] It was not until the completion of the Mud Mountain Dam and the Howard A. Hanson Dam, along the White River and Green River respectively, that the flooding would cease and allow the city to grow without the aforementioned hurdle impeding the growth.
In 1917 the city, in response to the growing of the Japanese community, donated some of the land in Pioneer Cemetery to the White River Buddhist Church. A little over ten years later, Rev. Giryo Takemura, minister of the church at the time, and his future son-in-law, Chiyokichi Natsuhara, raised money to replace the old wooden sticks and columns that had been in use as gravestones at the Cemetery with more durable concrete markers.[12] The interwar period saw several Japanese-American baseball teams from the area compete in the courier league with the White River All-Stars enjoying particularly large success winning four of the July 4th tournaments.[13][14]
In 1930 a Japanese bath house was constructed outside of Neely Mansion by the then current tenants.[15]
With the Attack on Pearl Harbor during the Second World War, Japanese immigrants and the Japanese-American community as a whole were largely seen with unwarranted distrust by the majority white population, including in Auburn. Executive Order 9066, issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on February 19, 1942, led to the city's Japanese-American population being relocated to internment camps. After the war, of about 300 Japanese families living in Auburn only around twenty-five returned.[12] In 1980, the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians found that this detainment was an unjust act in its report.
In 2008, Auburn annexed the West Hill and Lea Hill neighborhoods of unincorporated King County, adding 15,000 residents and expanding its land area by 26 percent.[16][17]
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 29.87 square miles (77.36 km2), of which 29.58 square miles (76.61 km2) is land and 0.29 square miles (0.75 km2) is water.[2]
Historically, the Stuck River ran through the settlement of Stuck, which is now a small pocket of unincorporated King County within southern Auburn. In 1906, the flow of the White River was diverted into the Stuck's channel near today's Game Farm Park.[18]
References to the Stuck River still appear in some property legal descriptions and place names (e.g., Stuck River Drive) within Auburn, but today it is essentially indistinguishable from the southern White River.[19][20]
Downtown—Historic buildings with a traditional main street and also many Craftsman-style houses from the 1920s.
North Auburn—A mix of commercial and single-family housing separated by Auburn Way North.
River's Bend—A small residential neighborhood nestled along the Green River, located at the bottom of Lea Hill in North Auburn.
Christopher/Thomas—An area in North Auburn roughly bordered by the Valley Drive Inn and 227th Street. Both are former farming towns annexed into the city in the 1960s.
Lea Hill—A mainly residential neighborhood east of the valley, annexed into the city in 2007. Green River College is located here.
Hazelwood—The area on Lea Hill between Green River Community College, and Auburn Mountainview High School. Once a town in the late 19th century.
West Valley—A commercial and industrial area on the west side of SR 167, located on the bottom of West Hill.
West Hill—Located on the West Hill, bordered by the city of Federal Way to the west.
South Auburn—A general area located south of downtown, once a low-income area but becoming a commercial zone.
Terminal Park—An area of middle class housing near the end of the rail yard named for the railroad workers who lived there.
Forest Villa—Mainly residential area located in the Game Farm Park area.
Lakeland Hills—A master-planned community sprawling on a large hillside at the southern end of the city on both sides of King and Pierce counties.
Hidden Valley—A planned development located East of Lakeland Hills overlooking North Lake Tapps.
As of the 2023 American Community Survey, there are 30,938 estimated households in Auburn with an average of 2.74 persons per household. The city has a median household income of $92,824. Approximately 9.6% of the city's population lives at or below the poverty line. Auburn has an estimated 63.5% employment rate, with 26.2% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 88.9% holding a high school diploma.[23]
The top nine reported ancestries (people were allowed to report up to two ancestries, thus the figures will generally add to more than 100%) were German (11.6%), English (9.3%), Irish (5.9%), Norwegian (3.2%), French (except Basque) (2.3%), Italian (2.2%), Polish (1.7%), Subsaharan African (1.1%), and Scottish (0.9%).
The median age in the city was 36.6 years.
2020 census
Auburn, Washington – racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
As of the 2020 census, there were 87,256 people, 30,806 households, and 20,850 families residing in the city.[27] The population density was 2,950.1 inhabitants per square mile (1,139.0/km2). There were 31,947 housing units at an average density of 1,080.1 inhabitants per square mile (417.0/km2). The racial makeup was 51.60% White, 7.79% African American, 2.29% Native American, 13.11% Asian, 3.17% Pacific Islander, 10.32% from some other races and 11.72% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 18.59% of the population.[28] 24.9% of residents were under the age of 18, 6.5% were under 5 years of age, and 12.4% were 65 and older.
2010 census
As of the 2010 census, there were 70,180 people, 26,058 households, and 17,114 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,369.3 inhabitants per square mile (914.8/km2). There were 27,834 housing units at an average density of 939.7 inhabitants per square mile (362.8/km2). The racial makeup was 70.46% White, 4.94% African American, 2.29% Native American, 8.91% Asian, 1.64% Pacific Islander, 6.31% from some other races and 5.44% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 12.87% of the population.
There were 26,058 households, of which 36.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.7% were married couples living together, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.3% were non-families. 25.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.22.
The median age in the city was 34.4 years. 25.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.9% were from 25 to 44; 25.5% were from 45 to 64; and 10.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.4% male and 50.6% female.
According to the Uniform Crime Report statistics compiled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in 2023, there were 663 violent crimes and 4,829 property crimes per 100,000 residents. Of these, the violent crimes consisted of 8 murders, 55 forcible rapes, 368 robberies and 232 aggravated assaults, while 955 burglaries, 2,214 larceny-thefts, 1,643 motor vehicle thefts and 17 acts of arson defined the property offenses.
Economy
Employment
This article needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(October 2023)
As of August 31, 2024, 69.2% of the population is in the labor force with a 5.2% unemployment rate.[29]
The Auburn Boeing Plant, opened in 1966, is the largest airplane parts plant in the world, with 2,100,000 square feet (200,000 m2) and 1.265 million parts being manufactured each year.[30] With over 5,000 employees, the Boeing plant is the third major employer in Auburn.[citation needed]
The White River Valley Museum's exhibits feature Auburn, from Native American history to the 1920s. They focus on the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe, pioneer life, immigration from Europe and Japan, truck farming, railroading and the building of towns throughout the area. Visitors can visit a recreation of a pioneer cabin, climb aboard a Northern Pacific Railway caboose, and investigate a recreation of the shops in 1924 downtown Auburn.[32]
As part of the King County Library System, there is a 20,000-square-foot (1,900 m2)[33] facility built in 2000 and expanded in 2012 having replaced an earlier, nearby location. It is part of the Les Gove Park, a 20 acre community campus south of State Route 164 including the White River Valley Museum, a senior center, and other recreational services. Fourth of July and other celebrations such as Auburn Good Ol' Days are also held in Les Gove annually.[34] The sculpture Crow with Fries is installed in Les Gove Park.
Auburn is designated by the Veterans Day National Committee and the US Department of Veterans Affairs as a Regional Site for celebration of Veterans Day.[citation needed]
Landmarks
The City of Auburn has designated the following landmarks:
Emerald Downs is a 167-acre (0.68 km2) six-level stadium and thoroughbred racetrack. The racetrack is operated on land purchased by the Muckleshoot in 2002.[36]
Parks and recreation
Auburn has an extensive system of parks, open space and urban trails: 28 developed parks, over 23 mi (37 km) of trails (including Auburn's 4.5 mi (7.2 km) portion of the Inter-urban Trail for bikers, walkers, runners and skaters), and almost 247 acres (100 ha) of open space for passive and active recreation.[citation needed]
The city of Auburn is a mayor-council form of government meaning the mayor is a full-time, separately elected position. The current mayor is Nancy Backus, who was first elected to the post in 2013 and re-elected in 2017 and 2021. She is the first woman to serve in the office since Auburn was incorporated in 1891.[citation needed]
Education
Auburn Senior High, founded in 1903
Public schools are administered by the Auburn School District. The district is larger than the city itself, serving the neighboring towns of Algona and Pacific, as well as some unincorporated areas around Auburn and Kent.[38]
Auburn station in downtown is a major hub for the Green River Valley.
Auburn has many large roads nearby and within city limits, including State Route 167 (commonly referred as the "Valley Freeway") and State Route 18. Auburn also has its own transit center, Auburn station in downtown, that serves as a major hub for southern King County. Sound Transit buses connect the Auburn Transit Center directly to Federal Way, Sumner, and Kent, while King County Metro buses connect it to Green River Community College, the Super Mall, and Auburn Way.
Until 1987, Auburn was home to a steam locomotive roundhouse and diesel engine house of the Northern Pacific Railway, the BNSF Railway of today. BNSF maintains a rail yard and small car repair facility, along with maintenance-of-way facilities at the former NP yard.[40] The Auburn Municipal Airport serves the general aviation community.[41]
Police
The Auburn Police Department is located within the Justice Building, along with the Municipal Court and jail.[42]
^Mullan, Michael (1999). "Ethnicity and Sport: The Wapato Nippons and Pre-World War II Japanese American Baseball". Journal of Sport History. 26 (1): 97–100. JSTOR43611719.
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